DeLauro Calls on FDA to Update Recall Procedures Following OIG Report

WASHINGTON, DC (June 9, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding an audit by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Preliminary findings show that the FDA does not have an efficient and effective food recall initiation process to help ensure the safety of the nation's food supply.

"News that the FDA does not have policies or procedures to ensure swift voluntary recalls during cases of foodborne illness outbreaks is mind-boggling. Last year, a Salmonella outbreak caused by cucumbers started in July 2015, but producers did not start recalling the product until September 2015, and cross-contamination was causing people to become sick as late as January 2016. As a result, nearly 900 people fell ill, 191 people were hospitalized, and 6 people died. Delays like this one—and others found in the report—are completely unacceptable and leave American consumers at risk for illness and death.

"It is even more astounding that the Food Safety Modernization Act—which I long fought to enact—gives the FDA mandatory recall authority, yet they do not utilize it. The FDA should require producers to recall contaminated food during an outbreak to better protect consumers. This report demonstrates that the FDA's action—or inaction—can have life-threatening consequences for American families. The FDA must make the OIG's recommendations a top priority and act on them immediately. I will be monitoring this investigation closely."

DeLauro has long fought for American consumers when it comes to food safety. Last month, she called on the FDA to shut down a Dole plant in Springfield, Ohio that is the source of a Listeria outbreak that killed four people and sickened dozens more. In January, she questioned why it took the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration so long to identify the source of the outbreak linked to Dole.

DeLauro is a senior member on the subcommittee responsible for funding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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